1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the formation of molded thermoplastic parts.
2. Background of the Related Art
Computer systems are complex combinations of parts working together to accomplish a design objective. Aside from the actual computers, servers, switches, network hardware and the like, the infrastructure used to arrange and manage the computer hardware can also be complex and may involve numerous parts that are specially made for a particular purpose.
Plastic parts are beneficial for use in the infrastructure of a computer system because they are inexpensive to make, they are generally electronically non-conductive, and they are strong without being heavy. Accordingly, many of components in the computer system will be made from plastic. Furthermore, these same advantages that make plastic a useful material in computer systems also makes plastics useful in many other applications, ranging from household items to automotive parts just to name a few.
However, plastic parts must be processed properly in order to obtain their intended physical properties, such as strength. For example, it is important to remove moisture from a thermoplastic polymer material prior to processing. It is unfortunate that manufacturers may under dry the thermoplastic in an effort to increase cycle time, cut costs, or both. As a result, these parts may be processed at conditions outside of the resin manufacturer's recommended parameters, resulting in molded plastic parts with compromised physical properties.
Unfortunately, the compromised physical properties of the molded plastic part may not become evident until long after the part has been put into service and suffers a failure during use. At that point, the failed part must be replaced at the expense of the additional part, inconvenience, and potential downtime of related devices. For example, if a plastic latch used to secure a hard disk drive into a chassis bay was formed under improper conditions, the latch may break during use. As a result of the broken latch, a new latch or new carriage for the hard drive may be required. Until the broken part is satisfactorily replaced, the hard drive may remain out-of-service.